This invention is relates to a method and apparatus for deleting an e-mail message from a server when the e-mail message is deleted from a client computer. Deletion of the e-mail may be controlled by the user of the client computer.
A user of a client computer may be one of many users which are part of a workgroup located on the same local area network (LAN) or may be linked to other users through one or more servers within a wide area network (WAN) or the Internet. Nowadays, e-mail messaging seems to be a preferred method of communication which transcends all physical boundaries. However, one of the difficulties in securing e-mail messages lies in the inability to completely erase an e-mail message once it has been sent.
When e-mail is sent from an originating client computer through a server, the e-mail message is broken into individual packets and each packet is routed through the server by way of routers. All of the packets from an individual e-mail message may not be sent to the same routers but may be sent to different routers. When the e-mail packets reach an interim destination, a gateway server, or a final destination server, the packets are put back together to re-create the original e-mail message. A gateway server is used to send the e-mail messages from one network to another network where the process of breaking the e-mail messages into individual packets and sending each packet to another set of routers is repeated. A final destination server is the last server to receive the individual packets. The final destination server re-creates them back into the original e-mail message and passes the e-mail message to the receiver client computer where it is copied onto the client""s random access memory storage.
Once e-mail has been sent through a server, including the Internet, and even though the originator/sender and the recipient of the e-mail have both deleted it from their client or personal computers (PCs) or workstations, the e-mail may still exist on the servers that routed the e-mail. The delete requests issued by either the originators or recipients of the e-mail do not affect the servers that relay the e-mail messages. The result is that e-mail that the originators and recipients wish to destroy oftentimes remain intact on the server. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for deleting e-mail messages on a client computer while also erasing it from all the servers which routed the message.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for deleting e-mail messages on a client computer and all the servers which routed the message.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for deleting e-mail messages controlled by the originator of the e-mail message.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for deleting e-mail messages controlled by the recipient of the e-mail message.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatically deleting e-mail messages from a client computer and all the servers which routed the message.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The above and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to, in a first aspect, a method of deleting e-mail messages sent to and received by a computer linked to a network comprising the steps of: (a) deleting an e-mail message from a computer, the computer linked to a server path having at least one server which routes the e-mail message to the computer; (b) sending a delete transaction from the computer along the server path; (c) receiving the delete transaction at each server along the server path; and (d) executing the delete transaction by each server to delete the e-mail message sequentially along the server path.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of deleting an e-mail message from a server by an originator of the e-mail comprising the steps of: (a) deleting the e-mail message from the originator computer linked to a server path which routes the e-mail message from one or more servers to the originator computer, the e-mail message having incorporated within a delete transaction; (b) sending the delete transaction from the originator computer to the server path upon the occurrence of step (a); (c) receiving and executing the delete transaction by each server along the server path; and (d) deleting the email message sequentially along the server path. The method may further include the step of updating the originator delete table.
Preferably, in step (a) the originator computer maintains an originator delete table comprising an identifier for the e-mail message, and the address of a first server along the server path to which the e-mail message is sent such that upon deletion of the e-mail message, the originator delete table is updated and sends the delete transaction to the first server along the server path.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of deleting an e-mail message from a server by a receiver of the e-mail comprising the steps of: (a) deleting the e-mail message from a receiver computer linked to a server path which routes the e-mail message from one or more servers to the receiver computer, the e-mail message having incorporated within a delete transaction; (b) sending the delete transaction from the receiver computer to the server path upon the occurrence of step (a); (c) receiving and executing the delete transaction by each server along the server path; and (d) deleting the e-mail message sequentially along the server path.
Step (c) may further include the step of sending a delete transaction to a next server along the server path.
Preferably, in step (a) the receiver computer maintains a receiver delete table comprising an identifier for the e-mail message, and the address of a last server along the server path from which the e-mail message originates such that upon deletion of the e-mail message, the receiver delete table is updated and sends the delete transaction to the last server along the server path from which the e-mail message originates.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of deleting an e-mail message by a server along a server path comprising the steps of: (a) receiving, by the server, an e-mail message having a deletion date; (b) creating a server delete table with an identifier of the e-mail message, an address of a location from which the e-mail message was received along the server path, and an address of a location to which the e-mail message is sent along the server path upon receipt of the e-mail message; (c) deleting the e-mail message upon occurrence of the deletion date; and (d) updating the server delete table with an indicator indicating that the e-mail message has been deleted.
Preferably, the server comprises one of a plurality of servers along the server path and step (c) further includes the step of sending a delete transaction to the server from which the e-mail was received along the server path. Alternatively, the server comprises one of a plurality of servers along the server path and step (c) further includes the step of sending the delete transaction to the server to which the e-mail is sent to along the server path.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of creating and deleting e-mail comprising the steps of: (a) creating an e-mail message on a first client computer; (b) inserting a deletion date into a header of the e-mail message; (c) sending the e-mail message with the deletion date to one or more servers in a chain of gateway servers; (d) sending the e-mail message with the deletion date, by a gateway server, to a final destination server; (e) receiving the e-mail message with the deletion date, by a second client computer, from the final destination server; and (f) deleting the e-mail message with the deletion date such that upon deletion the e-mail message is deleted from all servers.
Preferably, step (f) comprises deleting, from the second client computer, the e-mail message with the deletion date such that upon deletion a delete transaction is sent from the second client computer to the final destination server sequentially to a first gateway server which received the e-mail message from the first client computer. Alternatively, step (f) comprises deleting, from the first client computer, the e-mail message with the deletion date from all servers by sending a delete transaction from the first client computer sequentially to all gateway servers and the final destination server.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of creating and utilizing an originator delete table comprising the steps of: (a) creating an e-mail message on a client computer; (b) creating an originator delete table on the client computer comprising an e-mail message identifier, an address of a location to which the e-mail message is to be sent; (c) updating the originator delete table when a delete transaction is sent from the client computer; and (d) indicating on the originator delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted. Preferably, in step (c) the delete transaction is sent from the client computer upon deleting the e-mail message from the client computer.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of creating and utilizing a receiver delete table comprising the steps of: (a) creating an e-mail message on an originator client computer; (b) sending the e-mail message to a receiver client computer; (c) creating a receiver delete table on the receiver client computer comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of the server from which the e-mail message was sent from; (d) updating the receiver delete table when a delete transaction is sent from the receiver client computer; and (e) indicating on the receiver delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted. Preferably, in step (d) the delete transaction is sent from the receiver client computer upon deleting the e-mail message from the receiver client computer.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of creating and utilizing a server delete table comprising the steps of: (a) providing a server linked to a receiver computer, an originator computer, or both; (b) creating a server delete table when a server has received or sent an e-mail message, the server delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of a server from which the e-mail message was sent from and an address of a server to which the e-mail message will be sent; (c) updating the server delete table when a delete transaction, received by the server, is from a receiver client or an originator client computer; and (d) indicating on the server delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted. Preferably, in step (c) the server stores a delete transaction and is adapted to update the server delete table upon occurrence of a deletion date listed in the delete transaction.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to an originator delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of a server to which an e-mail is adapted to be sent.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a receiver delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of a server from which an e-mail is adapted to be sent from.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a server delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier, an address of a server to which an e-mail message is adapted to be sent and an address of a server from which an e-mail is adapted to be sent from.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of deleting e-mail messages sent to and received by a computer linked to a network, the method steps comprising; deleting an e-mail message from a computer, the computer linked to a server path which routes the e-mail message to the computer; sending a delete transaction from the computer to the server path; receiving and executing the delete transaction by each server along the server path; and deleting the e-mail message sequentially along the server path.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of deleting an e-mail message from a server by an originator of the e-mail, the method steps comprising; deleting the e-mail message from the originator computer linked to a server path which routes the e-mail message from one or more servers to the originator computer, the e-mail message having incorporated within a delete transaction; sending the delete transaction from the originator computer to the server path upon the occurrence of step (a); receiving and executing the delete transaction by each server along the server path; and deleting the e-mail message sequentially along the server path.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of deleting an e-mail message from a server by a receiver of the e-mail, the method steps comprising: deleting the e-mail message from a receiver computer linked to a server path which routes the e-mail message from one or more servers to the receiver computer, the e-mail message having incorporated within a delete transaction; sending the delete transaction from the receiver computer to the server path upon the occurrence of step (a); receiving and executing the delete transaction by each server along the server path; and deleting the e-mail message sequentially along the server path.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of deleting an e-mail message by a server along a server path, the method steps comprising receiving, by the server, an e-mail message having a deletion date; creating a server delete table with an identifier of the e-mail message, an address of a location from which the e-mail message was received along the server path, and an address of a location to which the e-mail message is sent along the server path upon receipt of the e-mail message; deleting the e-mail message upon occurrence of the deletion date; and updating the server delete table with an indicator indicating that the e-mail message has been deleted.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of creating and deleting e-mail, the method steps comprising: creating an e-mail message on a first client computer; inserting a deletion date into a header of the e-mail message; sending the e-mail message with the deletion date to one or more servers in a chain of gateway servers; sending the e-mail message with the deletion date, by a gateway server, to a final destination server; receiving the e-mail message with the deletion date, by a second client computer, from the final destination server; and deleting the e-mail message with the deletion date such that upon deletion the e-mail message is deleted from all servers.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of creating and utilizing an originator delete table, the method steps comprising: creating an e-mail message on a client computer; creating an originator delete table on the client computer comprising an e-mail message identifier, an address of a location to which the e-mail message is to be sent; updating the originator delete table when a delete transaction is sent from the client computer; and indicating on the originator delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of creating and utilizing a receiver delete table, the method steps comprising creating an e-mail message on an originator client computer; sending the e-mail message to a receiver client computer; creating a receiver delete table on the receiver client computer comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of the server from which the e-mail message was sent from; updating the receiver delete table when a delete transaction is sent from the receiver client computer; and indicating on the receiver delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for a method of creating and utilizing a server delete table, the method steps comprising: providing a server linked to a receiver computer, an originator computer, or both; creating a server delete table when a server has received or sent an e-mail message, the server delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier and an address of a server from which the e-mail message was sent from and an address of a server to which the e-mail message will be sent; updating the server delete table when a delete transaction, received by the server, is from a receiver client or an originator client computer; indicating on the server delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted.
The present invention is also directed to a program storage device readable by a machine having access to a delete table, the delete table comprising an e-mail message identifier, an address of a server to which an e-mail message is adapted to be sent and an address of a server from which an e-mail is adapted to be sent from, tangibly embodying a program of instructions to perform method steps for a method of deleting an e-mail message, the method comprising the steps of: checking the delete table for the e-mail message identifier after receiving instructions from a user to delete an e-mail message having the message identifier; locating the message identifier in the delete table; deleting the message identifier from the delete table; deleting the e-mail message from the machine; and sending a delete transaction from the machine to all addresses on the delete table for the e-mail message. Preferably, the program of instructions to perform method steps for a method of deleting an e-mail message further includes the step of indicating on the delete table that the e-mail message has been deleted.